Page 77 of A Kiss From Death
“Can I ask you something personal?” I question while turning so our knees are pressed together.
“Only seems fair,” he states.
I lick my lips nervously and catch his eyes wavering, tracking my tongue before reluctantly gliding back to my eyes.
“What happened to your eye?” I say softly, intrigue lacing my voice. Ever since meeting him, his one eye has always drawn my attention, and I have yearned to learn how it came about.
I see him retreat into his head like an old memory plays out for him. He subtly nibbles his lower lip, trying to decide exactly what he wants to say. It’s almost like his eye knows we are talking about it, because it seems to glow for a brief moment.
“I was struck by magic trying to protect someone. It lashed out across my eye and pulled some of my magic out with it, leaving this scar. When it drew out my magic, it took part of the coloring as well.”
I open my mouth to ask another question, but he rushes ahead of me, halting the conversation.
“I don’t remember much,” he states firmly. “The magic messed with my head and left me with gaps. All that remains is a faint memory and this scar.”
His tone leaves no room for further discussion. He wasn’t rude or harsh, but he clearly drew a line in the sand, and I do not intend push him.
I lean forward and drag my thumb softly over his scar, which makes him shudder under my touch. “I’m sorry that happened to you, but I’m glad you’re okay,” I say softly.
With an idea to change the mood, a mischievous smile blooms over my lips as I stand. His eyes drag up my body until they land on my face.
I giggle loudly as I make my way to the water, Hade grunting behind me as I strip my shirt off, then my pants, stepping out of them right before my feet touch the start of the water. I dive headfirst into the lake, fully submerging my body and reveling in the way the cold makes my body hum to life. It’s calming below the water, and I take a minute to soak it in.
When my lungs can’t last another second without air, I kick my legs, pushing myself back towards the surface. My face breaks through, and I draw in a loud, deep breath.
“Christ, Nyxi. You scared the shit out of me.” Hade huffs from the very edge of the water, concern etched on his face.
I keep my body submerged so my mouth barely hovers above the water. “Did I rile the mighty Cardinal?” I tease, dropping my voice an octave.
“Never,” he growls while narrowing his eyes on me. My skin somehow heats in the cool water. “I just didn’t want to have to explain to the Empress why she is down another contestant outside the confines of the Crucible.”
I swim backwards until I’m floating in the center of the large lake. “Seems like a better way to go, honestly,” I shout across the water and then submerge my body again. I swim around for a fewseconds, feeling the water glide between my fingers. When I finally emerge again, Hade is bent over the water’s edge, looking intently where I went under.
“Over here, big guy,” I yell, making his jaw tick.
“Stop that,” he grunts in frustration.
“Or what?” I taunt, trying to get him to play with me. “Is the big Cardinal scared of a little water?”
He growls in response, and the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I may be poking the bear, but it’s too fun to stop now. I’ll suffer the consequences when they come, and who knows, I may even like them.
“Well, are you just gonna stand there all day, or are you going to join me? You aren’t getting any younger, you know. I actually think I might see a gray hair from here!” I shout.
He reaches for his hair before he can think better of it, then grunts in frustration, making me giggle. “Fuck it,” he mumbles under his breath, slipping his shirt and pants off in record time.
He dives headfirst into the water and disappears deep below the surface. A few seconds go by, and I look around, trying to spot him. I yelp in surprise when I feel a hand land on my ankle, yanking me under. I collide with a giant, warm body that wraps around me then shoots us back to the surface. I feel Hade’s magic wrap around us, keeping us afloat.
My hair falls over my face, blocking my vision as I catch my breath. I get my breathing under control, and then my heart decides to take off when I realize how our bodies are still flush, his big arms trapping me against him. Every place our bodies touch leaves a trail of heat blazing like a wildfire. The contrast of the cold water and his warm, bare chest pressed against me is dizzying.
His eyes lock on mine as we float in the center of the lake for what feels like minutes. Not a single word passes between us, but I don’t need to hear a single thing out of his mouth when his eyes are telling me everything I need to know. Like a window to hissoul, his eyes tell me a million things about him. He lets me in for once, and I bask in the feeling of reaching in and finding something real just for me.
His eyes glimmer under the night sky, and water drips in a steady beat from the tips of his inky curls. If I were a painter, he would be my muse, and this would be my picture-perfect setting. He has always made my heart dance wildly, but in this moment, he looks like a god, and those soul devouring eyes are planted right onme.
He peels one arm from around me and slowly drags away the wild curls stuck messily to my face, clearing my vision. I heat under his touch as his soft fingers glide against my skin. It sparks an inferno in me, ready to jump at his every command so long as it involves his skin keeping contact with mine.
I try not to squirm under his intense gaze as he drags the last of my hair out of my face. I let out a loud, slow breath, entranced by the beautiful beast in front of me. I nervously nibble my bottom lip, unsure what to do with myself. Whenever I’m nervous, I resort to humor, which is exactly what my brain tells me to do right now.
“You’ve never seen anything prettier, have ya?” I tease, knowing full well I undoubtedly look like a mess. I can feel my curls sitting in a knot on the top of my head like a bird’s nest.
